Shenkt
'''Shenkt '''is the world's most feared assassin, not that anyone knows it. He's a former apprentice of the Magus Bayaz, and an Eater. Appearance and Personality Shenkt is average height, with short fair hair. His face is pale and lean, not old, but deeply lined, with harsh cheekbones and eyes hungry bright in bruised sockets. He speaks with the trace of a Union accent. Shenkt is cultured, highly intelligent and composed. A quick, capable killer, he kills ruthlessly and without hesitation despite being mannerly and polite. He frequently hums in an unnervingly tuneless manner. He’s also quite the gourmand, and carries around a nice array of spices for rump steak and stew; loves liver pate. Powers Aside from the enhanced strength and speed that all Eaters possess, Shenkt has the ability to "''Bullet Time"; he can move at such blinding speed, that to him his opponents seemingly slow down to a snail's pace. Because he's moving so fast, the force of his blows are increased many times over, and he can even pierce muscle and bone with his bare hands.This makes him virtually untouchable in battle; so talented a fighter that other Eaters seem unnerved by the prospect of taking him on. He's also a skilled healer, possibly to the point of magic. History Shenkt was once an apprentice of Bayaz. He and Yoru Sulfur seem to have known each other well, and may have studied together; the pair both became Eaters. However, something happened to make Shenkt despise Bayaz. He now stands in opposition not only to Bayaz, but also Khalul, destroying whatever they build on their grand chessboard. When it suits his purpose, he takes work as an assassin, always working alone. After one recent contract in Keln in Midderland, those brutally killed could barely be called corpses afterwards. At some point, he married Shylo Vitari, and fathered three children with her. His wife calls him "Cas." Shenkt has only one weakness, or rather four; his beloved Vitari, and their children. Best Served Cold Shenkt is working to bring down Grand Duke Orso of Talins, who has become the dominant leader in Styria, while being supported by Valint & Balk and Bayaz. He has been watching Monza Murcatto, Orso's greatest General, intending to kill her to weaken Talins. However, Duke Orso tries to kill her himself. Shenkt finds her body, crumpled but alive, on the hill below the fortress of Fontezarmo. He heals her intending to use her as a pawn against Duke Orso, however once restored to health, Monza flees to seek revenge for the death of her brother Benna. After Monza murders Duke Orso's eldest son Prince Ario, Orso hires a number of assassins including Shenkt to kill her and her crew. One hundred thousand scales for Murcatto, and twenty thousand for each assistant to a maximum of one quarter of a million. Shenkt first tracks down Monza's old friend Sajaam for information on her whereabouts. When Sajaam refuses, after pleading that he’d prefer not to resort to violence, Shenkt slows time and dispatches the dozens of guards in the room. Before he dies, Sajaam tells all he knows; Monza is in Visserine to kill General Ganmark, and then maybe Puranti to kill Faithful Carpi. He pursues Monza to Puranti, where he encounters a group of eight other assassins hired by Orso. After he kills them, he finds Monza has already fled. In Affoia, he visits his wife Vitari and his children. The children act nervously around their long-absent father, until he and Vitari sing them to sleep. He also learns that Monza is now in Ospria with Duke Rogont. After Duke Orso's army is defeated in the decisive battle near Ospria, Shenkt tracks Monza to Talins, where The Thousand Swords have put siege to Fontezarmo. During the final assault on the fortress, Shenkt casually makes his way through the chaos, to the Duke’s private study, where he finds Monza and Orso in a stand-off. Duke Orso orders him to kill her, but Shenkt reveals that rather than tracking her to kill her; he’s been trying to keep Monza alive. With that, he kills all the Duke’s guards, and allows Monza to finally kill Orso. In the end, Monza becomes Grand Duchess of Talins, which is thriving thanks to merchants flooding to the city as one of the only stable state in Styria. She gets a visit from Yoru Sulfur, who offers the backing of Valint & Balk. When she refuses, Sulfur’s sweet smiles hardens into thinly veiled threats, until Shenkt steps out from the shadows. Shenkt and Sulfur stalk each other like predators, clearly there is a long history between these two. Shenkt reveals that Monza has fulfilled his plan all along, a strong leader in Styria, supported by neither Bayaz nor Khalul. Theories * There is a theory that Shenkt was the celebrated King Casamir. Vitari's pet name for him is Cas. It is also the name of one of their children. It is quite striking that Bayaz seems to have a particularly low opinion of King Casmir, referring to him as a coward. Also, Shenkt speaks with a trace of a Union accent. It seems plausible that Casamir/Shenkt was Bayaz' pawn as King, but also his apprentice and an Eater. Eventually, Casamir/Shenkt turned against Bayaz. Hence, Shenkt hates Bayaz, Bayaz refers to Casamir as a coward, and Bayaz chose more malleable Kings in the future, like Jezal. Category:MagiCategory:CharactersCategory:POV characters